We’ve made it through another year, and what a year 2015 was. The economy was up, we got a new Star Wars movie, and Peyton Manning won another Super Bowl. It’s been an exciting year indeed, but did you know that SSDI applications went down in 2015?
Why Were SSDI Applications Down In 2015?
New reports say that the December 2015 unemployment rate for people with disabilities was down by .9 percent when compared to the same time period in 2014. This trend has stretched through the entire year of 2015, bringing unemployment totals for people with disabilities lower and lower—even the unemployment rate for people with no disabilities has gone down. However, this trend has also affected the total applications for SSDI in 2015.
How Does Lower Unemployment Affected SSDI?
With fewer unemployed people in 2015, the Social Security Administration only received 2,412,267 SSDI applications—that’s the lowest application rate since 2008! Many experts are linking these lower application numbers to the lower unemployment rate because more people seem to be going to work rather than letting a disability hold them back. However, some experts are looking at other factors that could explain why fewer people needed disability benefits in 2015.
What Else Could Affect SSDI Applications?
Fewer people filing for disability benefits could signal that fewer people are contracting fatal diseases or sustaining injuries that prevent them from working. Experts also believe that private long-term Disability Insurance policies could also be contributing to the decrease in applicants, but with only one in three workers insured with such policies, the likelihood of this seems slim. Government officials are also pointing to their Ticket to Work program, which allows people with disabilities to get back into the workforce.
Whatever the reason, reduced disability applications have the potential to speed up the process for current applicants. Make sure your SSDI claim is ready to go by consulting an experienced disability attorney.
This message brought to you by the Tulsa disability attorneys at Troutman & Troutman, making the application process easier, one claim at a time.
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